ATLANTA - It’s impossible to overstate the impact South Atlanta High power forward Derrick Favors would have if he commits to N.C. State.
The top-ranked senior in the nation according to scout.com, Favors will announce his college choice at 6:30 tonight, according to the Atlanta Journal & Constitution. He is believed to be choosing between N.C. State, Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Favors has given few clues as to which school he would choose, so N.C. State fans should be cautioned against getting their hopes up.
But if Favors, who’s 6-foot-9, picks N.C. State, scout.com national recruiting analyst Dave Telep said he would be one of the best prospects to come to the Triangle in the last quarter century. And at N.C. State?
“You’d probably have to go back to David Thompson to find a guy of Derrick Favors’ talent level,” Telep said, referring to the player many experts believe was the best in ACC history and led N.C. State to the 1974 NCAA title.
In coach Sidney Lowe’s third season, the Wolfpack would seem almost desperate for such a player. After losing 78-65 at home Tuesday to Florida State, N.C. State is 9-5 overall without a win over a team from a BCS school.
Dating back to last season, the Wolfpack has lost 11 in a row to ACC opponents. The fact that N.C. State still has a shot with Favors and other top prospects John Wall of Raleigh Word of God and DeMarcus Cousins of Mobile, Ala., has kept hopes for the future of the program high even as the present team struggles.
Telep said Favors, Wall and Cousins are making decisions independently, so Favors’ announcement shouldn’t have an impact on the others. And even if none of those players chooses N.C. State, Telep said the Wolfpack still has a strong class coming in.
During the fall signing period, N.C. State secured 6-7 Richard Howell of Marietta, Ga., 6-4 Lorenzo Brown of Roswell, Ga., and 6-5 Scott Wood of Marion, Ind.
“They have a top-20 recruiting class nationally, and they can hang their hat on a tremendous season Lorenzo Brown is having,” said Telep, who believes Brown has a shot at making McDonald’s All-American.
But at least until 6:30 p.m. today, N.C. State fans will be focused on a bigger prize.
– Ken Tysiac
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Favors would be huge pickup for Pack
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4 comments:
Come on Favors, come to the wolfpack where you can be the start of a new era for wolfpack basketball, and the start of what looks to be some great talent sidney lowe in bringing on...having this guy commit to state would be a huge step in the right direction!
GO PACK!
Ga Tech.
Why? No idea?
Close to home maybe?
But he's a jacket.
This Tar Heel fan hopes these highly ranked players do come to Raleigh. It is better for the ACC when NC State is a top 20 program. Although the rivalry with Duke is fun, we all have friends and family that went to State and to Carolina. Something is missing when this rivalry loses its edge.
I enjoyed watching David Thompson play in the mid 70s, and still consider him the best college basketball player I've ever seen.
So as far as this recruiting battle goes, I say "Go State", (as long as you're not playing my Heels!)
If the Wolfpack could get Favors and Wall, they would INSTANTLY become one of the top 10 or 20 programs in the nation...at least for one year!
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